Wolf: a tribute to Saito Hajime of Rurouni Kenshin
by SoraOfSkye
Summary: This is a tribute to Saito Hajime, as said in the title. It involves Saito, the war and my OC.


**By: Amy Nguyen P.4**

His eyes were as gold

And sinister as a wolf's,

With his fangs glistening

In the moonlight

Still stained freshly with the blood

Of his fallen foes,

Still dripping, dripping, drop.

With the scent of blood still strong

Lingering in the air.

So strong, he could still taste it on his lips.

With a quick flick of his wrist,

The blood sprayed

Across the snow covered ground,

Leaving his blade still shining

With its metallic brilliance.

Thus 'twas he,

Saito Hajimei of the infamous Shinsengumiii,

Standing upon a cliff

Overlooking all of Kyotoiii.

With his wolfish eyes he stared,

Then silently, slowly,

Walks away.

I look up to see this cliff,

This very cliff he'd stood upon

Only moments ago,

Seeing the dark silhouette

Of this Mibuiv wolf,

Shrinking more and more

As the moment passed.

Yet his fangs,

Those deadly fangs,

Which murdered countless lives,

Still glistening in the moonlight

With "Aku Soku Zan.v"

And his haunting eyes,

Those pair of eyes his fallen foe

Had seen before they met their end,

His gaze still lingers

Within my heart.

Was it because of all this chaos,

All this bloodshed,

That caused this man

To become a wolf,

To be cursed,

As well as gifted

With these pair of eyes,

These haunting eyes

That shined of death?

This lone-wolf

Who once fought for the old,

Yet turned his fangs

Against his own comrades

To keep them in order,

Where does his loyalty truly lie?

This mysterious wolf of Makotovi.

The sky is washed

With the color of blood,

Like a mirror,

It reflects the chaos of this era;

I wonder if the stars

Are going to be beautiful

And if the moon will shines

After this chaotic era.

I look back at the cliff,

Now abandoned by all

Save for the snow that frost its surface

As well as the scattered blood,

To see no trace of his silhouette left,

Yet with his image

Engraved in my mind,

And his eyes

Still burning in my heart,

I wonder if I

Could one day tame

This wolf of Mibu.

When would he ever discover

This feeling I kept from him,

Kept from all,

Or shall I forever remain

The Imperialist Hitokirivii,

His mortal and eternal enemy?

Nay. For the time being,

I will remain what I am

A cold-blooded assassin,

Who shows no mercy to anyone.

Our opposing paths

Might never intertwine,

Not letting us get over our differences

And start a clean new life together.

How long will this damned war last?

When will the rain of blood cease

And give way to the Spring of Life?

When will I be reborn

From this dragon of death

To the blossom of life and peace again?

Yet I still wonder,

Is it possible for this unsheathed sword

To turn over a new leaf

And enjoy life the way

It was meant to be?

Can this new blossom's

Sweet scent of peace

Ever tame the heart of this

Murderous, blood-thirsty wolf,

Who I 'd like to ask,

"Kokoro wa doko ni iru?"viii

i Saito Hajime- the leader of the Shinsengumi's third squad,

known to be the most honorable yet unpredictable of the group.

ii Shinsengumi- "Newly Elected Group", hired by the last shogun of the Tokugawa, also known as the last shogun of Japan, to kill off all those who opposed him during his regime.

iii Kyoto- The old capital of Japan, until the beginning of the Meiji era.

iv Mibu- The city where the Shinsengumi originally had their base at. Hence the name

"Wolves of Mibu."

v"Aku Soku Zan"- meaning " Swift Death to Evil", this was one of the famous motto's of the Shinsengumi, as well as the hitokiri's.

vi Makoto-" Truth", this character in calligraphy was known to be flown on the Shinsengumi's

red and white-striped banners.

vii Hitokiri- another word for assassin, quite different from ninja's though. These were either natural-born or they achieved their title samurai whom fought for the Imperialists or which ever side they were on.

viii "Kokoro wa doko ni iru?"- Literally, " Where does your heart belong?" in Japanese. I got this quote from a one of my favorite songs, by a Japanese band called See-Saw, from a song called,

"Anna ni Isshou Datta no ni."


End file.
